Different Kinds of Family
by Catalina H
Summary: A chance encounter leads to new understandings about responsibilities and what makes a family.
1. A Blast From the Past

**Disclaimer: I don't own NUMB3RS.**

**A/N: I know I haven't really posted anything for a while, and my other stories are on kind of permanent hold since I can't open the files, but I've had bits and pieces of this one for a while and I finally got the inspiration to write again. Hope you like :)**

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Chapter 1 – A Blast From the Past

Amita stood in the aisle staring at the two movies in her hands, trying to decide which one she should rent for her and Charlie's movie night.

"This one," she heard as a hand pointed to the one in her left hand.

She turned around and smiled at the teenager. "Hey Chloe," she greeted happily. "I was wondering if you were working today."

Chloe chuckled. "It seems like I'm always working."

Amita smirked. "I know the feeling."

"So, you guys are having another movie night I take it?" Chloe questioned, motioning to the movies Amita was holding.

She nodded. "Yep. So this one?" Amita confirmed, holding up the one Chloe had pointed to earlier. Chloe nodded. "Thanks, you're a lifesaver."

Chloe smiled. "No problem."

"Chloe!" the guy at the counter called.

"What's up Tyler?" she asked as she went over.

"Stupid computer's acting up again," he complained.

Chloe rolled her eyes and pushed him aside. "Let me see," she sighed.

Tyler moved out of the way as Chloe began typing on the keyboard. "Hey, I'm just gonna go look to check to see if that movie's in," he told her.

"Whatever," she muttered.

He rolled his eyes at her and started heading down one of the aisles, passing Amita as he did.

"You know," Amita started as she walked over to the counter. Chloe sighed exasperatedly. "CalSci has a good -"

"Don't," Chloe warned. Amita gave her a look, and Chloe sighed. "Look, you know the deal. It's not that I'm not interested in going to college, but it's just not an option for me right now," she told her simply.

Amita shrugged. "But what could it hurt to just _look_?" she countered.

-0-

"OK, so admit it," Amita said triumphantly.

Chloe chuckled. "Fine, you were right, CalSci _is_ an amazing school," she agreed as they walked down the hallway. "But that's not the issue. Honestly, I'd love to go to a school like this. But, I just…_can't_."

Amita sighed. "You know, there are scholarships and grants and stuff. I'm sure you'd be able to -" She stopped mid-sentence at the look Chloe was giving her. "Fine. Come on, I want you to meet someone," she said, motioning for Chloe to follow her. "Hey Charlie," she greeted as they entered his office. "This is the girl I was telling you about."

"Chloe, right?" he double checked as he shook her hand.

She nodded. "Yeah. Nice to meet you."

"You too. Good choice in movie by the way, it was good," he complimented.

Chloe smirked. "Thanks. I've gotten pretty good at guessing what movies people will like after working at the video store for so long."

"And it's a big help, since I can never decide," Amita added.

Charlie and Chloe both smirked.

"Oh Amita, I was wondering -" Larry started when he entered the office, but stopped when he noticed Chloe. "Ah, you must be the young lady Amita's been talking about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," he politely.

"You too," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Chloe, this is Professor Larry Fleinhardt," Amita told her. "He's also one of our good friends, I think I might've mentioned him…"

"Yeah, I think you have," Chloe agreed.

"So, I hear you're considering attending here," Larry commented.

Chloe sighed, giving Amita an exasperated look. "Well, you heard wrong," she told him. "I'd like to, but that's just not gonna happen anytime soon."

"Oh really? That's a shame," he said.

"Hey guys –Oh sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Don asked when he came in, pausing at the door.

"No, it's OK. Come on in," Charlie told him. Don walked over to the group, but did a double take when he saw Chloe. Charlie noticed, and said, "Oh, Chloe, this is my brother -"

"Don Eppes," she sighed, but was talking more to Don than finishing Charlie's sentence.

"Chloe?"

Charlie, Amita, and Larry all looked at each other.

"You two know each other?" Larry questioned.

Don looked like he wasn't sure what to say, but Chloe answered, "He used to date my mom."

"Yeah," Don agreed. "It's been a while," he commented.

Chloe nodded. "Eight years," she stated.

"When did you all move back to LA?" Don asked.

"Few years ago," Chloe answered. Don nodded slowly, looking like he was about to say something, but Chloe beat him to it. "I gotta go, I'm already running a little late," she said nonchalantly, glancing at her watch as she turned to Amita. "Thanks for the tour Amita, I'll see you later."

"Anytime," Amita told her as Chloe began to leave.

After Chloe was gone, Larry spoke first, "Was it just me, or did she seem in a hurry to leave?"

Amita raised her eyebrows in agreement as Charlie turned to his brother.

"What exactly happened between you and her mom?" he asked.

Don shrugged, looking honestly confused as he turned back to the group. "I dunno. We dated when I was teaching at Quantico, and then they moved to Tampa to be near her sister."

-0-

"Hey," Chloe greeted cheerfully, walking into the kids' bedroom.

"Hey," the boy replied quietly, not moving from where he was laying on his stomach on the top bunk, chin resting on his hands as he seemed to not be paying attention to anything.

Chloe bit her lip. "Aunt Kristen said your coach is gonna let you pitch in Saturday's game, why aren't you excited bud?" she asked curiously as she leaned on his bed, folding her arms under her chin. He gave a half shrug, but Chloe noticed he was looking at the picture on his shelf. She looked back over at him, placing a hand on his arm. "Collin…" she started quietly, but he cut her off.

"No, it's okay sis," he told her, and sighed. "Sometimes I just wish my dad could be here for some stuff," he admitted.

Chloe gave him an understanding smile, but glanced over at the picture of their mother and Don that Collin had been looking at. She looked back over at her brother and asked, "You wanna go see Mom?"

Collin nodded, and jumped down off the bed and started pulling on his shoes.

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**A/N: The second chapter's almost finished, and I'll probably have it up either later tonight or tomorrow. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	2. Let's Go To A Ballgame

**numb3rs mystery - I agree, I love finding new Numb3rs stories. It's probably my favorite to write too. Hope you enjoy the story!**

**A/N: Insomnia struck so I went on and finished. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 2 – Let's Go To A Ballgame

As they entered the room, Collin ran over and jumped up on the bed to hug the woman, who smiled and hugged him back.

"Hey sweetie," she greeted happily, though sounding exhausted.

"I get to pitch Saturday!" he told her excitedly.

She smiled. "That's awesome, Collin. I'm proud of you."

"What's so awesome?" the nurse asked, walking around Chloe and over to the monitor by the bed.

"I'm pitching in my game Saturday," Collin informed her.

"That's great, big guy," the nurse told him. Then turning to the woman smiled, "Your boy's growing up Kaitlyn."

Kaitlyn smiled sadly as she held Collin, who looked utterly content to stay in his mother's embrace.

After making her notes, Marge saw Chloe's expression and said, "Hey Collin, why don't you come with me so I can get you a slice of the good cake out of the cafeteria as congratulations?"

Collin's eyes lit up, and he looked to his mother for permission. Kaitlyn nodded her head in encouragement, and Collin got down and followed Marge. Chloe smiled at them as they walked out, but it fell when she turned back to her mother.

Sighing, Kaitlyn asked somberly, "So, what's up?"

"Remember that lady I was telling you about that's trying to get me to go to CalSci?" she started casually, walking over towards the bed. Kaitlyn nodded. "Well, she gave me a tour today."

"That's great Chloe. How was it?" Kaitlyn inquired with a small smile.

"Guess who I ran into," Chloe said pointedly.

Furrowing her brows, Kaitlyn asked, "Who?"

"Don."

Kaitlyn didn't say anything. If her eyes hadn't widened slightly, Chloe would've almost thought she hadn't heard what she'd said.

"Apparently his brother is one of the professors," Chloe continued lightly. Kaitlyn nodded slowly, a faraway look in her eyes, taking a deep breath. "Are you ever gonna tell him?" Chloe asked bluntly.

Looking up at her daughter, Kaitlyn sighed, looking even more tired than she had when Chloe and Collin had arrived.

Despite the tears forming in her mother's eyes, Chloe continued, "He deserves to know the truth."

Swallowing, "I know that," Kaitlyn agreed softly, closing her eyes. Taking another deep breath, she said, "I feel bad enough for lying to him all these years. I should've told him then, but telling him now…it'd seem like –"

"And what happens when you _can't_ tell him?" Chloe interrupted. Kaitlyn looked back at her daughter with a sorrowful expression.

-0-

"Son of a bitch!" Chloe muttered angrily after the box of DVDs she'd been stocking slipped, dumping them all over the floor.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she bent down and began picking up the movies.

"Want a hand?"

Chloe looked up at Amita. "I got it, but thanks though," she replied, trying to give her a smile.

Amita bent down and picked up a few movies anyway. "Everything okay?" she asked Chloe in concern, seeing the teenager's tired and frustrated expression.

Nodding as she stood with the box, Chloe answered nonchalantly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Shrugging, Amita followed as Chloe began walking toward the counter. "I dunno, you just seem a little on edge," she said slowly.

"Just stuff at home," Chloe sighed.

"Oh. Well, the other day you kinda left in a hurry, I wasn't sure whether maybe it had something to do with seeing Don," Amita added cautiously.

Chloe looked up at Amita. Shaking her head she assured her, "It wasn't Don. I'd just forgotten I'd told my aunt I'd take my cousin to soccer practice."

"Oh. OK," Amita smiled, feeling a little silly. Then changing the subject, asked, "So, have you thought any more about applying?"

"You're not gonna drop this are you?" Chloe half chuckled, half sighed.

Amita smirked, but it fell slightly when she saw Chloe's downcast eyes. "What's stopping you?" she asked gently.

"It's complicated," Chloe admitted quietly, purposefully not looking at Amita.

-0-

"You're still coming tomorrow, right?" Collin asked, turning to look at his sister.

Chloe looked up from her homework. "Yeah, you know I am bud," she assured him.

Collin smiled. "I know, just making sure."

Smirking, Chloe promised firmly, "I'll be there."

"Good," Collin smiled, turning back to his TV show.

Chloe sighed and bit her lip as she watched him for a few more minutes before going back to her homework.

-0-

"Agent Eppes? You have a visitor."

Don looked up and saw Chloe approaching his desk. "Thanks," he muttered to the agent, who nodded and left. "Hey," he greeted the teenager.

"Hey," Chloe replied, attempting to smile, but didn't succeed in easing the awkwardness. "Can we talk?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sure," Don nodded, confused, but lead the way to the conference room.

After Don shut the door behind them, Chloe broke the silence. "I'm sorry about just kinda taking off the other day," she started.

"It's OK, Chloe," Don assured her, still not sure what this was about. "I'll admit, it was a little weird," he added lightly.

Chloe smirked, nodding in agreement, shuffling her feet.

Don broke the silence that had fallen by asking cautiously, "What's going on Chloe?"

Taking a deep breath, Chloe looked up at him with an almost pensive expression. "Do you have any free time right now?"

Furrowing his brows, Don glanced at his watch, then back up at Chloe. "Yeah, I got time. Why, what's up?" He was beyond confused now.

"I wanna show you something," Chloe told him.

Sighing, Don agreed slowly, "OK, sure."

-0-

"So...why are we at a Little League game?" Don questioned as they sat down on the bleachers.

"Because..." she started slowly. She swallowed and pointed out one of the players. "You see number fifteen?"

Don looked out onto the field and noticed the boy she was talking about, but the kid was facing the other direction so he couldn't get a good look at him. "Yeah. What about him?"

Chloe took a deep breath. "That's my little brother."

After a minute, Don finally commented, "I didn't know you had a brother."

She just nodded. "Yeah. His name's Collin," she informed him.

For a few minutes they both just sat there watching the game, neither saying anything.

After a deep breath, Don worked up the nerve to ask, "How old is he?"

"Seven."

For a minute, Don felt like he couldn't breathe. With that one word Chloe had explained it, why Kaitlyn disappeared, why she'd never talked to him, and why Chloe had acted so weird when he first saw her again. Though it was possible that he was wrong, Chloe refusing to look him in the eye pretty much confirmed his theory.

He opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say. He was slightly afraid to know the answer to the question he wanted to ask.

But Chloe seemed to know that, and looked him in the eyes and told him, "He's your son."

Don closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "That's why you guys moved," he stated under his breath.

It wasn't a question, but Chloe nodded anyway. "She was afraid to tell you. Because of your job…she didn't know how receptive you would be to having a kid," she explained. Don sighed and put his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. Chloe bit her lip for a second before finally honestly telling him, "She really did love you. She was just scared."

He rubbed a hand over his face before turning his head to look at Chloe. "Why are you telling me now?"

She half-shrugged. "You're a good guy Don. You deserved to know from the beginning."

Don took a few deep breaths as he watched the game, particularly Collin.

Chloe bit her lip and took a breath before continuing. "Look, my dad...he walked out on me. You were never given the choice," she explained slowly.

Don watched her for a second before turning back to watch Collin. "Does he know?" he questioned hesitantly.

"Who his father is?" Don nodded. Chloe grinned a little. "Yeah." Don looked back over at Chloe. "Mom always told him who you were."

They sat there in silence, watching the game, for several minutes. It was a lot for Don to process.

Finally, he took a breath and looked up. "So…Do I get to meet him?"

Chloe smirked. "That depends..." she started. Don looked at her curiously. "You still like hot dogs?" she asked lightly. Don gave her a questioning look. Chloe chuckled, but explained, "We have this little tradition, I take him out for hot dogs after ever game."

Don looked at her oddly. "You still remember that?"

Looking back out at the game, Chloe had a distant expression covering her features. "When Mom told me she was pregnant," she began quietly, "I honestly didn't know what to think."

"You were ten," Don pointed out.

Nodding, but not looking at Don, Chloe continued, "After I found out she wasn't going to tell you, I wanted to remember as much as I could about you." Don furrowed his brows. Chloe bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Mom may have told him about you, but she didn't tell him everything," she stated. "I barely know anything about my dad. I didn't want Collin to not know his," she explained.

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**A/N: I have class tomorrow so it may be a day or two before I can get the next chapter up. I'll do my best though. And of course, reviews are always appreciated!**


	3. First Encounters Part 1

**numb3rs mystery - Thanks for the review! And a flashback is an awesome idea! I hadn't really thought about that to be honest. But I love the idea. I put a little look into the past in this chapter, but I'll probably be adding in a full on flashback in a later chapter, so thank you for the inspiration!**

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update! Between classes, work, and my car breaking down, I haven't had hardly any time. And this chapter was taking a while to write. Hence, why I decided to break it into 2 parts. **

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Chapter 3 – First Encounters Pt. 1

As the game finished, Chloe made her way down the bleachers, with Don following slowly.

Collin saw his sister standing by the fence, smiling at him, and he ran over to her.

"Did you see that?" he asked excitedly as he jumped into her arms.

"I did. I'm so proud of you! You did awesome bud," Chloe told him proudly as she hugged him tight before letting him down.

He smiled back up at her. "Thanks! Coach said he'll probably have me pitch next week too."

Chloe smiled. "That's great." Collin grinned, as Chloe took a breath and told him, "There's someone I want you to meet."

Furrowing his brows, Collin asked curiously, "Who?"

Nodding over in Don's direction, she began walking over to where he was standing, nudging Collin along beside her.

"Don, this is Collin," she introduced. "Collin…meet your dad."

Collin looked as if he was in a state of shock. So did Don.

Taking a deep breath, Don said a quiet, unsure, "Hi Collin."

After a moment, Collin blurted out, "We're going to get hot dogs, you wanna come?"

Casting a quick glance at Chloe, who was smirking and trying not to laugh, Don gave Collin a small smile as he nodded. "Sure. Sounds good."

-0-

Don let out a heavy sigh as he plopped down on his couch. It had been a long day. First, he'd found out he had a seven year old son, who, thankfully, hadn't been as nervous as Don. Collin had talked to Don about everything, from school and baseball to video games and favorite foods. Then as they were saying goodbye, Collin had asked Chloe if they could go see their mom. It was only then, after Don had given her a questioning look, that Chloe had reluctantly told him that Kaitlyn had cancer, and had been in an assisted-living facility for the past year, which is why she and Collin were living with their aunt and why Kaitlyn hadn't wanted Chloe to tell Don about Collin.

Leaning forward Don picked up the shoebox he'd dug out of his closet. He took a deep breath before opening it up.

Picking up the first picture, Don smiled sadly as he looked at the picture of him and Kaitlyn. It was taken on their first date, when they went to dinner at a local pub and she'd beaten him in a game of pool.

The next one was taken after the first time Don had gone to one of Chloe's softball games. He'd taken them to this little hot dog stand in the park, which became a tradition any time he went to one of her games, a tradition she apparently kept with Collin. Don had been the one to take the picture of Kaitlyn and Chloe making goofy faces at the camera holding their hot dogs in their hands. He smirked as he remembered they'd refused to take the picture unless they were making the silly faces.

Don sighed when he looked at the next picture. Kaitlyn had taken the picture of him and Chloe without them realizing it. It was the first time Don had spent the night. He'd gotten up early and was getting ready to fix Kaitlyn breakfast to surprise her when Chloe had walked in the kitchen and asked him what he was doing. He ended up teaching her how to make pancakes the way his mom had taught him. It wasn't until a few days later when Kaitlyn gave him this picture that he found out she'd been watching.

Taking a deep breath, Don ran a hand over his face before putting the pictures back in the box. He got up off the couch and grabbed his keys, dreading his next conversation.

-0-

Though shocked at first, Kaitlyn managed to school her features while Collin told her all about meeting Don. After he had finished though, she gave her daughter a look that said they needed to talk.

"Hey Collin, why don't you go see if Marge has any more of those brownies," Chloe suggested.

Collin nodded. "Okay."

Once he was gone, Kaitlyn turned her attention to Chloe. "What the hell were you thinking?" she asked bluntly.

Chloe rolled her eyes and retorted, "I was doing what you should've done years ago."

Kaitlyn sighed tiredly, looking paler than usual. "Chloe..." she started.

"Mom, he deserved to know," Chloe pointed out softly.

Putting her head in her hand, Kaitlyn muttered a quiet, "I know."

There was silence in the room for a minute, until Kaitlyn finally broke it as she looked back up at her daughter.

"Was he mad?"

"More shocked, I think," Chloe answered with a shrug.

Kaitlyn nodded slowly. "I _am_ glad he knows," she began quietly. "But _I_ should've been the one to tell him," she added indignantly.

"Yeah, you should've," Chloe agreed pointedly.

-0-

"In the kitchen," Don heard his father call when he entered the craftsman.

Passing through the living room, Don stopped as he saw a picture of him and Charlie from when they were kids. He took a deep breath as he realized, even more than he had earlier, how much Collin looked like him.

Closing his eyes, Don steeled himself for the conversation he was about to have before heading into the kitchen, where he found his father, brother, and Amita.

"Hey guys," he greeted.

"I swear you have a sixth sense to know every time I'm cooking one of your favorite meals," Alan commented wryly.

Don smirked, retorting, "Just good timing."

Charlie chuckled, "I'll say."

"Actually, that's not why I'm here," Don told them slowly.

"What's up?" Charlie questioned, as Alan looked back at Don.

Taking a deep breath, Don looked at Amita, "You know Chloe?"

Amita nodded. "Yeah, what about her?"

"She came to see me today."

Charlie and Amita looked confused, while Alan asked, "Who's Chloe?"

It was Amita who answered his question. "She's a girl I was giving a tour of CalSci the other day. She works at the video store near campus I always go to."

"I used to date her mom," Don added. "Back when I was teaching at Quantico after I left Fugitive Recovery."

"So why did she come see you?" Charlie asked.

Don hesitated, taking another deep breath, before answering, "She took me to a Little League game."

"What?" Charlie questioned in confusion. Even Amita was furrowing her brows, trying to put it together.

"Why did she take you to a Little League game?" Alan asked.

"So I could see her brother," Don replied slowly.

"Why?" Amita questioned.

Swallowing, Don told them, "Because he's my son."

Amita's mouth dropped open and her eyebrows raised in surprise. Charlie was opening and closing his mouth, wondering whether he had heard correctly but not knowing what to say.

"You have a son?" Alan breathed, shock covering his face.

Don nodded. "Yeah."

"Ar– Are you sure?" Charlie stuttered.

"He looks just like me Charlie," Don shrugged.

"How old is he?" Amita asked.

"Seven."

"What's his name?" Alan questioned.

"Collin."

Alan took a deep breath, and walked over to Don and looked him in the eyes. Don looked back at his father unsurely. He was a little surprised when Alan pulled him into a hug.

"Congratulations, Donnie," he told his son quietly. "I think you'll be a good father."

Don smiled as Alan released him. "Thanks Dad."

Alan nodded, as Charlie asked, "So when do we get to meet him?"

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**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first part! It shouldn't take me too much longer to finish the second part of this chapter, so hopefully I'll have an update by tomorrow night at the latest. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	4. First Encounters Part 2

**numb3rs mystery - I'm glad you liked it! For Collin, it wasn't as big of a shock, because unlike Don (who hadn't known about Collin), he'd known about Don. And don't worry, Alan will be giving a lecture or two in future chapters, but I didn't want this to be one of them, because I think he understands Don didn't know and he's happy to be a grandfather. As for Don and Kaitlyn's relationship, you'll be seeing more of that in future chapters as well. And I totally agree, Don will make a good father. But like anyone else, he's gonna have his bumps in the road.**

**Helen R - I'm glad you like it! And as far as my other stories, yes, I do want to continue them. Unfortunately most of my stories are in files I can't open right now. Though 'Raising April' and 'Unknown' I can, and I do plan on working on finishing them soon (relatively, depending on work and school), and 'Ghosts of Our Past' was in a notebook, which I lost in a move, but I've been slowly working on and adding to the next chapter as I can.**

**A/N: Here's the second part of the chapter, as promised. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 3 – First Encounters Pt. 2

"Ryan, turn that down," Chloe told the nine year old as the phone began ringing.

Sighing, Chloe got up to grab the phone. "Hello?"

"Chloe?"

"Hold on," she told the caller, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the living room and yelled, "RYAN, TURN THAT DOWN!"

He huffed, but turned the volume down on the TV nonetheless.

"Thank you," Chloe muttered sarcastically before turning her attention back to the phone, asking, "Who is this?"

"It's Don."

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Hi," she said slowly. "What's up?"

She heard him take a breath before he continued. "I told my dad and Charlie about Collin last night, and they were asking when they could meet him…"

"Uh…" Chloe mumbled, taken aback, glancing over at Collin, who was sitting at the table doing homework.

"They suggested inviting you guys over for dinner," Don continued.

Taking a deep breath as she watched her brother, Chloe replied slowly, "You'd have to ask him."

"Ok…"

Walking over to her brother, Chloe handed him the phone. "It's your dad," she told him.

Surprise swept over his face as he looked to Chloe for approval. She nodded her head and he answered it hesitantly, "Hi." After a few moments, Chloe watched his face light up as he said, "Yeah! That sounds good."

Collin looked to Chloe and opened his mouth to ask, but she went on and told him, "It's fine." He gave her a smile before going back to the conversation.

-0-

"I'm nervous," Collin blurted out as they pulled into the driveway.

"You'll be fine," Chloe assured him, turning off the car.

Collin looked over at his sister and quietly asked, "What if they don't like me?"

Chloe saw the fear in Collin's eyes, and sighed. "Collin…they're gonna love you," she told him softly but sincerely. He tried to smile at her, but couldn't quite manage it, so she added bluntly, "And if they don't, they can deal with me." That got him to laugh, and Chloe smiled. "Now come on, let's go."

He nodded and got out of the car, following Chloe up the steps. Despite the casual expression he was wearing, Collin grabbed Chloe's hand and moved closer to her as she rang the doorbell. She sighed, and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Thankfully, Don was the one who answered the door. "Hey guys," he greeted as cheerfully as he could manage, though Chloe still heard the nervousness and had to contain her smirk.

"Hi," Collin replied in a small voice.

Chloe smiled as she looked at Don and mouthed 'he's nervous'. Don nodded, and motioned for them to come inside.

As they entered, Chloe noticed Amita and Charlie coming over.

"Hey Chloe," Amita greeted cheerfully.

"Hi Amita," Chloe replied in kind. "This is my little brother, Collin," she introduced before looking at Collin. "You remember me telling you about Amita?"

Collin nodded, and told Amita, "Nice to meet you."

Amita smiled warmly at him. "Nice to meet you too Collin." She pulled Charlie over closer, and introduced, "This is my boyfriend, Charlie."

"Charlie's my little brother," Don added. "Your uncle."

Collin smiled at Charlie. "Hi."

"Hi," Charlie greeted, after Amita nudged him out of his shock of seeing a mini version of his brother.

It was then that Alan came out, and saw the newcomers.

"Hello, I'm Alan," he greeted with a small smile, holding out his hand to Chloe. "Don and Charlie's father."

"Chloe," she replied with a smile, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Dad, this is Collin," Don introduced. "Collin, this is your grandpa."

No one in the room missed Alan beaming at being called a grandpa.

He smiled at Collin, and held his hand out to the boy. "Nice to meet you, Collin."

Collin shook his hand. "You too," he greeted with a smile, though still edging closer to Chloe after releasing the handshake. Other than Chloe, Don was the only one to catch that move though.

"Is your aunt not coming?" Alan questioned curiously.

"She works nights when Uncle Steven is home," Collin told him.

"Night shift pays better," Chloe shrugged at Alan's puzzled expression.

"Ah. Well, I hope you all are hungry," Alan stated lightly. Everyone nodded, and he motioned them into the dining room.

-0-

The first twenty minutes or so of dinner had been relatively quiet, but Collin had finally start to come out of his shell and talk more with Alan and Charlie. Alan had asked about school when Collin started telling them about his school's upcoming science fair.

"So what's your project going to be?" Alan asked interestedly.

Collin shrugged. "Dunno yet. Probably a volcano, or Chloe said she'd help me build a radio."

"I remember helping Charlie make a diorama of the solar system for one of his science projects," Alan commented.

Charlie rolled his eyes, but asked Collin, "Have you thought about making a telescope?"

Collin fervently shook his head. "Oh no," he stated firmly. "Not after last time."

Chloe barely managed to cover up her laugh with a cough, causing confusion in the others.

"What happened last time?" Don inquired slowly, casting a curious glance at Chloe as he looked at Collin.

While Collin shuddered, Chloe answered for him, her tone laced with amusement. "Him and his cousin decided to spy on some people in the building next to ours."

"I still don't think they were making a movie," Collin said to his sister, shaking his head at the memories.

Smirking and trying not to laugh, Chloe retorted, "Oh yes they were, just not the kind you're allowed to watch."

Alan and Charlie's eyes widened, Amita covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smirk, and Don managed to turn his surprise into a cough.

Clearing his throat, Alan attempted to redirect the conversation. "So Chloe," he started. "Amita says you're looking at CalSci for college."

Don was the only one to notice Collin's timid expression as he watched his sister, who sent a sharp look at Amita.

"She said wrong," Chloe stated in a tone that left no room for argument.

Amita sighed, as Alan and Charlie shared a confused glance. Amita started to say something, but Collin beat her to it.

"So you're a math professor, right?" he asked Charlie lightly, trying to break the tension in the air.

It took a moment for Charlie to process, but he realized what Collin was doing and nodded. "Yeah."

"So what exactly do you do? Just teach classes or stuff?"

"Yes, but that's not all professors do. And I also work with Don as a consultant for the FBI," Charlie informed him, and began to tell his nephew about his work.

Don looked over at Chloe, but she was watching her plate intently, not making eye contact with anyone other than occasionally glancing up at her brother or Charlie as they discussed his job.

-0-

After dinner, Alan was showing Collin some old photo albums, with Don and Charlie providing commentary and throwing each other the occasional teasing remark.

Chloe was watching them with a small smile on her face as Amita came up beside her.

"Sorry about earlier," Amita apologized sincerely. Chloe sighed, her smile falling, but she remained watching her brother. "I'd told him I'd given you a tour and that I was trying to convince you to apply, I didn't think tha–"

"We're cool, Amita," Chloe interjected, looking over at her. "And I'm sorry I got so defensive," she added softly.

Amita smiled at the teenager. "Come on, I wanna show you something you may find interesting."

Chloe glanced back at her brother before following Amita out to the garage.

-0-

"This is awesome," Chloe stated in awe as she was looking through the program. "How did you guys come up with this?"

"It's a project we've been working on for a while," Amita told her. Glancing at Chloe, she added hesitantly, "Research projects like this is one of the perks at CalSci, I did a lot of it as an undergrad."

Chloe let out a heavy breath, not looking at Amita.

"Look Chloe," Amita sighed, sitting down next to her. "You're a smart kid. Half the undergrads at CalSci wouldn't understand this program, but you do." Chloe swallowed, biting her lip as she refused to look over at Amita. "I'm sure there's a way for you to go to school if you really want to."

Looking down, Chloe sighed. "It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Amita pushed gently.

"It's complicated," Chloe told her, looking her in the eyes, willing her to drop the subject.

Amita exhaled in defeat, nodding slowly.

-0-

Collin was saying goodbye to Alan and Charlie, while Chloe was waiting by the door.

"You know Dad's gonna want to see his grandson all the time now," Don mentioned as he came over, seeing her watch Collin.

Chloe chuckled. "Well, I doubt he'll have any problem with that. He seems to really like them." Don nodded, watching the interaction as well. "So, I wanted to tell you..." Chloe started. Don turned back to look at her, and she looked him in the eyes. "Thank you," she said sincerely.

"For what?"

"For getting to know your son," she answered simply.

Don smiled. "Thanks for telling me I had one."

She smiled back, but then turned more serious and glanced down and then back up. "You still haven't talked to her have you?"

Don sighed and shook his head. "No, not yet."

Chloe bit her lip for a second, looking as if she was inwardly debating something, and then said, "Look, not that I want to get in the middle of your guys' relationship or anything, but...You should probably talk to her sooner rather than later."

He watched Chloe for a second, once again struck by how similar her and her mother could be sometimes. He chuckled lightly and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Ready to go bud?" Chloe asked lightly as Collin came over.

He nodded, and waved goodbye to the others, "Bye."

Don gave him a smile, "See ya later kiddo." Collin smiled back.

"Bye guys," Chloe told them before adding to Collin, "Come on."

-0-

After they got in the car, Chloe remarked, "See that wasn't so bad was it?"

Collin smirked as he shook his head. "No."

Chloe gave him a 'told you so' look, but refrained from actually saying it. But when she noticed his expression turn downcast, she asked, "Hey, what's up bud?"

Biting his lip, Collin finally looked at his sister and asked, "Can I tell Mom about tonight?"

For a moment, Chloe was stunned into silence, but quickly recovered. "Of course you can bud," she assured him fervently. "Why couldn't you?" she questioned.

Collin looked down as he answered, "Because you weren't supposed to tell him about me in the first place."

Closing her eyes, Chloe took a deep breath before looking back at her brother. "You weren't supposed to be listening," she muttered. "How much did you hear?"

"All of it," he replied in a small voice.

Chloe grabbed his shoulder so that he would look her in the eyes. "Then you also heard that she's glad he knows," she pointed out. Collin nodded slowly. "Good. Now, let's go home, you got school in the morning."

-0-

Don took a deep breath before opening the door. She had her eyes closed when he entered the room. He swallowed hard as he took in her pale complexion, thin physique, and the IVs and monitors she was hooked up to. It had been bad when he had to see his mother in this condition, but he honestly wasn't sure what he was feeling seeing her like this.

She opened her eyes and saw him watching him. She managed a small smile as she greeted him. "Hey stranger, I was wondering when you were gonna show up."

Don smiled back. "Hey Kaitlyn."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked the second part of the chapter! I'm gonna try to have the next chapter up soon, but I've got homework I have to work on first so no guarantees on how quickly I'll be able to update. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	5. There's No Going Back Now

**numb3rs mystery - I dunno yet if Alan will be giving an actual "lecture" or if it will just be one of those fatherly talks of his. Depends on how it goes I guess. And don't worry, you will find out how Don feels about his relationship with Kaitlyn, both then and now, in a future chapter. Thanks for the review! Hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**mikiss - I know, right? I love Numb3rs too. I'm sad they cancelled it, but at least it ended on a good note, and we still have fanfic :) Hope you enjoy the story!**

**A/N: So procrastination won, and I finished the next chapter. :) You don't see the Eppes as much in this chapter, but they'll be playing a much larger role from here on out. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4 – There's No Going Back Now

"Where you going?" he asked as Chloe was pulling on her shirt.

"I gotta go," she said as if it was obvious. "I have to pick Collin up from practice."

Sighing heavily, he pulled her back down onto the bed as she was attempting to button her jeans. "Come on, can't your aunt do that?"

"No, Rick," Chloe shot back firmly, buttoning her jeans before getting up again. "You know the deal."

He rolled his eyes, but didn't argue with her. "So when are we gonna get to go out?" he questioned softly, watching as she gathered her things into her backpack.

Chloe paused, taking a deep breath as she turned back to him with an apologetic look. "I don't know," she admitted quietly.

Rick furrowed his brows. "Why can't your aunt just watch him? You watch her kids all the time."

"Rick!" He rolled his eyes and she retorted, "Living with her is why I've been able to save up for an apartment. Besides, with Steven gone so much, Kristen needs the help."

"Yeah, but –" he started, but she cut him off fervently.

"And she does help! She's the reason I can work weekends."

Rolling his eyes, he huffed, "Fine!" Chloe scowled at him, and his tone turned softer as he sat up. "What about his dad? He knows about him now, right? Why can't he watch him for a couple hours?" he suggested.

"No," Chloe said firmly, shaking her head. "Don has known about Collin less than a week. They've barely spent any time together, I'm not gonna ask him to take Collin so I can go on a date."

"Ok…" he drawled placatingly, grabbing her wrists and pulling her in front of him. "How about just getting a babysitter? People do it all the time."

Chloe shook her head. "I don't trust him with someone I don't know. And I'm not most people," she added, sounding affronted.

He smirked. "No, you're not," he agreed wholeheartedly. Then added gently, "But you need a break too."

Chloe let out a puff of laughter under her breath. "What do you think this was?" she questioned with a smirk, leaning in and giving him a quick kiss before she grabbed her backpack and left.

-0-

"I thought you were picking up Collin?"

Chloe sighed, pausing at the stairs after rushing inside. She looked over at her aunt. "I forgot to grab his permission slip for the tournament this morning."

Her aunt smirked. "How's Rick?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe retorted, "Are we really gonna do this right now Kristen?"

Kristen sighed. "No. I just wanted to let you know that I got an interesting phone call today…from Alan Eppes." Chloe's eyes shot up to meet her aunt's. "He was asking if he could pick up Collin after school Monday so he could have dinner with them." Chloe swallowed as her aunt gave her a pointed look. "They don't know, do they?" she asked quietly.

Exhaling deeply, Chloe shook her head. "No."

"You need to tell them Chloe," Kristen said simply, and walked back into the kitchen.

Chloe rolled her eyes, sighing as she continued up the stairs.

-0-

Don couldn't stop the smile that formed on his face as he watched Collin at practice. He'd stayed back though, leaning against one of the oak trees behind the field so no one could see him. He just wanted to watch from afar for now. Observe. He thought back to his conversation with Kaitlyn.

_"He's a lot like you," she told him with a smile._

_ "I saw his game Saturday," Don told her._

_ Kaitlyn smiled. "He told me." Chuckling she said, "When I told him you used to play baseball, he wanted to try it. After that first practice…he was hooked." Don smirked, nodding in agreement. "He was so excited to meet you, Don," Kaitlyn added sincerely._

_ Don nodded slowly, looking at her, but not quite able to look her in the eyes. "I'm glad Chloe told me."_

_ Sighing, Kaitlyn all but whispered, "So am I." Don cast her a glance. "Sometimes I think she makes a better mom than I do," she commented quietly._

_ "You're a good mom, Kaitlyn," Don told her honestly. "No one's perfect. But you've got two great kids, you must've done something right," he smiled at her._

_ Kaitlyn grinned. "They are great kids," she agreed._

After about ten minutes, he decided to come out from the shadows. He walked over to the bleachers and took a seat next to Chloe, who looked surprised to see him. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied slowly. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Figured I'd come watch him practice."

Chloe looked as if she didn't quite believe him, but didn't comment.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes until Don finally said, "I saw your mom yesterday."

Not looking away from the field, Chloe commented, "That's good."

"She's not getting better, is she?" he asked bluntly.

Taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes, Chloe shook her head.

Don watched her for a moment, casting a quick glance at Collin as well.

"It's a question of _when_, not _if_," Chloe told him quietly, opening her eyes, but not looking at Don.

He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, and looked at Chloe. "You know, I'm here if you wanna talk."

"You're not my dad Don," Chloe retorted quietly.

"I know that," Don agreed. "But I am here."

Chloe looked over at him, and Don couldn't help but silently chuckle at the familiarity of this conversation. It was identical to one they'd had eight years ago, and from the smirk on Chloe's face Don knew she remembered too.

-0-

As the practice ended, Collin ran over to where Chloe and Don were sitting.

"Hey," he greeted enthusiastically.

Don smiled back. "Hey kiddo."

"Good practice?" Chloe asked.

Collin shrugged. "Yeah, but Coach said I need to work on hitting the ball."

"You just need to get a good stance, the rest comes on its own," Don told him. "Come on, I'll show you."

Collin looked over at Chloe, who nodded. "Yeah, go ahead, we got time."

He smiled and followed Don out onto the field. Chloe watched the pair with a smile as Don demonstrated different stances and gave Collin pointers. She couldn't help but notice how happy they both looked.

-0-

"Ok, so your grandpa's gonna pick you up this afternoon," Chloe was saying as they pulled up to the elementary school. Collin was rolling his eyes, but she didn't seem to notice. "I already added him to the list of people allowed to pick you up so there shouldn't be an issue, but if there is –"

"Chloe!" She stopped abruptly and looked over at her brother, who was smirking at her. "I'll be fine," he assured her softly.

She started chuckling, and put her head in her hands. "I was doing it again, wasn't I?"

Collin nodded. "Yep."

Taking a deep breath, Chloe looked back up at him. "Sorry."

He smiled. "It's ok. I know you just worry, especially with people you don't know very well." Chloe had to smirk, but nodded in agreement. "But Dad'll be there too, and you trust him," Collin pointed out.

Sighing, Chloe conceded, "Yes. Which is the only reason I agreed to this in the first place."

The look Collin gave her was enough to get her undivided attention. "Chloe…" he started slowly. "I love you, and we're a family…But they're my family too, and I wanna get to know them."

Biting her lip as she closed her eyes for a second, when Chloe looked back at Collin she looked him in the eyes and whispered, "I know bud." She managed to give him a small smile, and added lightly, "And I love you too."

Collin smiled and threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly, which she returned full force.

"I'll see you tonight, Chloe," he said lightly after releasing his sister, and grabbed his backpack before climbing out of the car and heading into the building.

Chloe sighed heavily and took a few moments to herself, rubbing her hands over her face before driving away.

-0-

Don couldn't help but smile as he listened to Collin chat animatedly about the evening. Though his father had said Collin had been quiet at first after he picked him up from school, once they had gotten him talking, it was almost nonstop. He had asked all of them, in detail, about their professions, he'd been especially interested in what Alan had done as a city planner. But when Don asked him if he knew what he wanted to do when he got older, Collin explained that was why he was asking so many questions, because he was trying to figure that out.

It wasn't until Collin gave him the last turn and pointed out the house that Don realized this was the first time he'd seen where his son lived. Sure, he'd been to the apartment Kaitlyn and Chloe lived in when he was dating Kaitlyn plenty of times, but that was eight years ago and across the country. The house itself was a little run down, but still gave off the feeling of a home. And though the neighborhood wasn't the best, it was by far not the worst.

As he parked, Collin grabbed his backpack and got out, running over to the woman who'd just come down the porch. By the time Don got out and began walking up to the house, Collin was already inside and the woman was almost to him.

"So you're the infamous Don Eppes," Kristen stated lightly.

Don smirked. "You must be Kristen." He knew she was, she looked too much like Kaitlyn not to be related.

Kristen chuckled. "Nice to finally meet you," she said sincerely, holding out her hand, which he shook.

"You too."

"So can I be frank with you?" Kristen asked bluntly.

A little taken aback, Don recovered quickly and nodded.

"I know what my sister told you." Don glanced down as he shuffled his feet, but looked back up at her and nodded. Kristen sighed. "Don…I know your friend is trying to convince Chloe to go to CalSci, and while I would honestly love to see her go to college…she's not like other kids her age, she hasn't been for a long time." Kristen gave him a small smile as she continued, "We all know Chloe did the right thing in telling you about Collin, and we're glad you wanna be involved in his life, because honestly he needs a father." Then she turned serious. "But you need to understand that no matter how much or how little your involvement in Collin's life is…Chloe can _never_ go back. She _will never_ be a normal kid again. So don't do anything just to try to help her, because she doesn't need that, and neither does Collin." Don nodded slowly. Kaitlyn sighed, "I'm not trying to be a hard ass Don, I just want you to remember that this was a family long before you came into the picture."

"I know that," Don nodded soberly.

"Good," Kaitlyn nodded, taking a deep breath and giving him a smile.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked that chapter! I'll try to update as soon as I can, but since I procrastinated yesterday and due dates are approaching I do have to work on my homework. Though I'm sure I'll be working on this in between so hopefully an update won't take too long. :) As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	6. Not Your Decision

**A/N: Sorry this update took so long! I've been busy with work and school, and I had trouble figuring out exactly how I wanted to write the end of this chapter. But this is a longer chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5 – Not Your Decision

"Hey bud," Chloe greeted when she got home from work and found Collin on the couch in his pajamas. "You have fun with your dad tonight?" she asked Collin as she plopped down by him.

He nodded. "Yeah," he smiled.

Chloe smiled. "Good," she stated, ruffling his hair before leaning back and closing her eyes.

"Chloe?"

She opened her eyes and looked at her brother when she heard his quiet, apprehensive tone.

Collin bit his lip for a moment before starting quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

Furrowing her brows, Chloe nodded. "Of course you can, you know that."

"Do you think it'd be ok if I spent the night with my dad Friday?" he asked slowly, not quite looking his sister in the eyes.

Chloe was silent for a minute, which caused Collin to look up at her. He didn't fail to notice her stoic expression.

"Do you want to?" she questioned softly.

Now it was Collin's turn to be silent for a minute. Finally, he gave a slight shrug and admitted, "Yeah."

Chloe took a deep breath. "Ok."

Collin looked her in the eyes. "'Ok' as in…?"

Smirking, Chloe told him, "'Ok' as in you can go."

A smile spread across Collin's face as he hugged his sister. "Thanks Chloe."

"You're welcome bud," Chloe sighed, hugging him back tightly.

-0-

"Ok, so he's got toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, pajamas, spare clothes, and I put his uniform and stuff in there too."

Don had been sitting on the edge of his desk listening to Chloe ramble on about things he needed to know for the past five minutes. It was taking a lot for him to keep a straight face and not laugh at her apprehensiveness.

"I got it," Don assured her calmly.

Chloe nodded slowly, but continued, "That should be everything, but if anything happens –"

"Chloe!" Don interrupted firmly, though with some amusement. He placed his hands on her shoulders and got her to look him in the eyes. "He'll be fine," he promised gently. "Don't worry."

Chloe sighed, looking up at him as she gave a faint chuckle. "He's my baby brother, it's my job to worry."

Don smirked. "I know the feeling." Chloe smiled slightly. "And it doesn't get any better," he added lightly.

Puffing, Chloe retorted, "Gee, thanks for the pep talk."

Shrugging one shoulder, Don asked, "Don't you have school?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm going," she conceded. "But –"

"If anything happens, you'll be the first to know," Don assured her.

-0-

Don gave Chloe a tired smile as she opened the door.

"Go on upstairs bud, I'll be up in a minute," she told Collin as he came inside, before giving Don an understanding smile.

Collin got up the first couple steps before running back over to the door. "You're still coming to my game tomorrow, right?" he asked Don expectantly.

"Wouldn't miss it," Don assured him with a smile.

Collin grinned, and turned back around and ran upstairs.

When Chloe turned back to Don, he was giving her a knowing smirk.

"You knew," he said quietly. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

Sighing with a sympathetic smile as she leaned against the door frame, Chloe told him, "Don't take it personally Don. It happens every time he tries to stay somewhere new." Don nodded. "It just takes time," Chloe added with a shrug.

He nodded. "Didn't wake you, did we?" he questioned lightly, gesturing to her pajamas.

"Nah, I was still up," Chloe assured him. Don gave a slight nod.

"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said, turning to go back to his SUV.

"See ya tomorrow," she agreed as she watched him leave.

-0-

"I don't think I've been to a Little League game since you played," Alan commented as he and his sons found seats in the bleachers.

Charlie smirked, while Don just rolled his eyes.

"You're new."

The Eppes men looked at the woman passing them.

She smiled and extended her hand to Don. "Hi, I'm Nicole Wilson, Bryan's mother," she introduced, pointing out to one of the players.

"Don Eppes, I'm Collin's dad," he replied, shaking her hand.

She raised her eyebrows in recognition. "Oh you're Kaitlyn's ex. It's nice to finally meet you," she told him sincerely.

"Thanks," Don replied slowly.

Nicole smiled. "Well, I forgot my camera in my car, but I'll see you later."

Don nodded, smiling politely as he watched her walk away. When he looked back at his father and brother, they were both fighting smirks, and Don rolled his eyes again. Sighing, he pointed out some seats.

-0-

"Come on Collin, we're already late," Chloe said as they got out of the car.

Collin rolled his eyes. "Alright already," he sighed, grabbing his bag. "I'm not the one who fell asleep at the table," he retorted under his breath as they began walking toward the field.

Scowling, Chloe grabbed Collin's arm and turned him to face her. "Hey, lose the attitude," she told him firmly.

His shoulders sagged as if someone had let the air out of them as he looked at his sister and apologized, "I'm sorry Chloe, it's just –"

"I know," Chloe cut him off softly. Giving him a reassuring smile she said, "But there's nothing we can do about it, so just try not to think about it. Okay?"

Collin tried to give her a small smile as he nodded, "Ok."

Chloe forced a smile. "Ok. Now let's go before you're officially late."

They continued on their way when they ran into Nicole.

"Hey guys," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Ms. Wilson," they replied politely.

"I just met your dad Collin," Nicole mentioned lightly. "Very nice man," she added with a smile that had Chloe biting her lip to keep from smirking.

"Yeah…" Collin replied slowly, confused by her very bright smile.

"Well, I'll see you guys over there, I forgot my camera in the car," Nicole said, waving goodbye as she continued to the parking lot.

Collin shook his head and looked up at Chloe. "What was that all about?" he asked, confused.

"Don't ask," Chloe told him simply. Collin nodded slowly as Chloe added, "Come on."

-0-

"Hey, there you are," Charlie greeted as Chloe made her way up the bleachers.

"We were starting to get worried," Alan added.

Chloe waved her hand dismissively. "Hectic morning," she replied vaguely, taking a swig of her coffee.

"Everything okay?" Don asked as she sat down.

"I heard you met Ms. Wilson," Chloe shot back with a smirk.

"Told you she was hitting on you," Charlie commented triumphantly to his brother.

Don rolled his eyes. "She wasn't hitting on me Charlie," he disagreed. Then turning to Chloe, he asked, "And how did you know?"

Chloe smirked. "We ran into her on the way from the parking lot," she answered, and added, "And she _was_ hitting on you." Charlie let out a victorious "ha!" that earned him a scowl from his brother and a smirk from Alan, but Chloe continued, "She tries to sleep with anyone with a –" She paused, realizing where she was and that the Eppes men had raised their eyebrows, and finished, "pulse."

Charlie and Don smirked, both knowing what she had been about to say.

Alan cleared his throat. "Ah, look, the game's about to start," he said, looked out toward the field.

-0-

"Hot dogs in the park, I like it," Alan commented after they'd gotten their hot dogs and were making their way over to one of the picnic tables.

"Chloe said Dad's the one that started it," Collin informed him.

Alan glanced over at his eldest son. Don just shrugged.

Collin continued, "Apparently he did it with Chloe when she played softball."

"You played softball?" Charlie questioned, looking over at Chloe, who had the appearance of a deer caught in a headlight for being brought into the conversation.

Swallowing the bite of her hot dog, Chloe nodded slowly. "Yeah, fast-pitch."

Alan looked over as well. "Really?"

Chloe nodded, casting a sideways glance at her brother, and trying to not show her unease at being the topic of discussion.

"Yeah, just be careful," Don added slyly. "She's got a dangerous arm."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe muttered, "Get kicked out of one game and you never live it down."

"You got kicked out of a game?" Charlie questioned. "Why?"

Though Chloe smirked, Don gave a slight shake of the head and told his brother, "Trust me Charlie, you don't wanna know."

Charlie's eyes widened in understanding, while Collin turned to his sister with an almost mortified expression. "You didn't," he sighed incredulously.

Chloe rolled her eyes and looked at Don as she retorted, "That jackass deserved it and you know it."

"Language," Alan muttered quickly, nodding over to Collin who just smirked.

"Don't worry, I've heard her say a lot worse," he assured his grandpa.

Chloe scowled at her brother, who in turn smirked brighter. She responded by sticking out her tongue, showing a half-chewed bite of hot dog.

While Don was biting his tongue to not laugh, Charlie scrunched up his nose and muttered, "That's disgusting," as Chloe swallowed her bite.

She and Collin glanced at each after Charlie's comment and started laughing.

Alan just shook his head and glanced at his sons. Charlie rolled his eyes at Chloe and Collin, while Don was smirking in amusement as well.

-0-

"You okay?" Alan asked Collin. "You've been quiet since I picked you up from school."

Collin looked up from his homework and tried to smile, but it just exacerbated the tired look that had Alan worried. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Alan furrowed his brows, looking closer at his grandson, who noticed the extra scrutiny.

"Seriously Grandpa, I'm fine," Collin assured him.

Sighing, Alan realized it was a losing battle and relented. "Alright, but if you're _not_ –"

"I'll let you know," Collin promised.

Smirking slightly, Alan nodded. "Well, okay then."

-0-

"Collin?" Alan called worriedly through the bathroom door after he heard the distinct sounds of retching.

He heard the toilet flush, and then Collin opened the door, looking remarkably pale and sick.

"Ok, I'm not fine anymore," Collin admitted quietly.

"I'd say not," Alan agreed softly, placing a hand on his forehead. "You should go lie down."

-0-

"101.5," Alan read, letting out a sigh as he put the thermometer down.

"'s not that bad," Collin mumbled into the couch pillow, as Amita placed a cool washcloth on his forehead.

Charlie smirked faintly, while Alan muttered something that sounded strangely like, "Just as stubborn as his father," under his breath.

Alan looked up upon hearing the knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Charlie said, beating his father to the door. "Hey Chloe," he greeted, holding the door open.

"Hey. What's going on?" she questioned when she came inside and saw them all gathered around.

"He's been throwing up for the past hour," Alan informed her as she walked over and squatted down next to her brother.

"Yeah, Kristen called me," Chloe replied nonchalantly. Placing the back of her hand gently on the side of his cheek, Chloe smiled as Collin looked at her. "Hey bud, how you doin'?"

"He's running a fever of 101.5," Alan continued worriedly. "I was just telling Charlie I think we may need to take him to the hospital."

"No hospitals!" Collin protested weakly, sitting up too fast and puking once again in the bucket Alan had set in front of him.

Chloe sighed as Alan continued to fret, "He needs a doctor."

Shaking her head as Collin moaned 'no', Chloe calmly disagreed, "No, he's probably just got the stomach bug that's been going around his school."

"Can we just go home?" Collin asked, looking up as he pleaded with his sister.

Giving him a small smile, Chloe nodded, "Sure thing bud. Where's your stuff?"

"Here's his backpack," Charlie said, handing Chloe the bag.

"Thanks Charlie," she smiled.

"I still think we should at least take him to get checked out," Alan quietly argued fervently.

"No!" Collin cried out, cringing as he tried not to vomit again.

"Hey," Chloe soothed, bending down in front of her brother again. "I'm not gonna take you to the hospital," she promised, looking him in the eyes. Collin nodded, trying to smile at his sister. "You're not that sick yet," Chloe added jokingly. Collin almost laughed, but turned pale and cringed again. Chloe pursed her lips in a small smile as she ran a hand through his hair.

"Don't you think we should talk to your aunt, or Don, before you start making those kinds of promises?" Alan asked pointedly.

Collin furrowed his brows as he looked at Chloe in confusion. Biting back an exasperated sigh, Chloe schooled her features before looking back at Alan and calmly telling him, "It's not their decision." She looked back at her brother and asked, "You ready bud?"

Collin nodded slowly, wrapping his arms around her neck as she picked him up.

"Here," Charlie said suddenly, snapping out of the daze of watching to open the door for Chloe, who had her hands full with Collin and his backpack.

"Bye Collin, feel better," Amita told him.

Alan sighed and followed Chloe down the porch, stopping only as she was putting Collin into her car. "What do you mean it's not their decision?" he asked, somewhat heatedly. "They're the adults directly responsible for him."

Chloe let out a heavy sigh as she shut the car door. Collin was watching warily, despite his dazed and sick state. Charlie and Amita were also watching closely from their spot on the porch by the door.

Alan almost took a step back upon seeing the fierce gaze in her eyes as she turned to face him.

"Look," she started at a normal volume, but with a sharp tone. "I appreciate the fact that you are his grandfather, and I'm glad that you want to be involved in his life, I really am. And I understand that you're worried about him, I get that, so am I, but –" She paused and took a step closer before continuing, "It is _not_ your decision whether to take him to the hospital or not. And it's not my aunt's, and it's not Don's. It's _mine_." Alan started to open his mouth, but Chloe continued before he could say anything. "_I'm_ his legal guardian. That means _I_ make the decisions. Not you, not Don, not my aunt. And now, I'm taking him home."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked that chapter! No promises, but I'm gonna try to update within the next week. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	7. Talks and Apologies

**Review Replies:**

**numb3rs mystery - Yes, she is. And it'll become clearer why she does what she does as the story progresses. And don't worry, you'll be seeing plenty of Don :) There will be more Don/Collin moments too.**

**Conny - In my experience, hospitals don't do much for stomach bugs anyway. They'll usually give Tylenol/motrin to lower the fever, some anti-nausea medicine, and if you're dehydrated fluids. But as far as why Chloe didn't take Collin to the hospital, and what she did do, you'll find out in this chapter. And she told Don because she thought he deserved to know he had a son, not because she needed help, as her aunt kind of talked to him about at the end of chapter 4.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I just couldn't stop writing this part of the story so you get another update quick :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6 – Talks and Apologies

Chloe was already out on the porch by the time Don got to the steps.

"I'm not apologizing," she said firmly as Don sighed and held his hands out in front of him in a placating manner.

"And I'm not asking you to," he told her sincerely, seeing she was about to continue her frustrated rant. Chloe let out a heavy breath, seeming to release the frustrated air about her, as she nodded tiredly.

"Look, about –" she started quietly, looking down, until Don interrupted her.

"I already knew."

Chloe looked up at him with furrowed brows.

Don sighed. "Your mom told me when I went to see her." Chloe nodded slowly with a faint smirk.

"You never said anything," she muttered as she sat down on the top step.

Shrugging, Don replied, "Didn't seem to matter." Chloe huffed slightly in amusement as Don added, "Until now," as he sat down next to her. Chloe raised her eyebrows in a 'no kidding' manner. "Look Chloe," Don started with a sigh. "I know how my Dad is. He worries a lot."

"Collin didn't need to go to the hospital. It was just a stomach bug that's been going around his school, the school nurse warned us Monday," she interjected fervently. "I called his pediatrician to make sure, and he said as long his fever didn't get worse and he didn't get too dehydrated I didn't need to take Collin to the hospital and it would go away on its own," she added defensively.

Don nodded. "How's he doing?" he asked gently.

Taking a deep breath as she ran her hands over her face, Chloe answered, "His fever went away with Tylenol, and he finally stopped puking and fell asleep about three this morning."

"Good," Don commented. "Did you get any sleep?" he questioned, not failing to notice that she was still wearing her work uniform.

Chuckling quietly, Chloe shook her head. "No."

With a slight smirk, Don asked, "You know what your mom told me?"

Looking over at him with a confused expression, she shook her head.

"She said sometimes she thinks you make a better mom than she does," he told her softly.

Chloe looked down with a light huff.

"She was right about one thing," Don continued firmly. "You are good at taking care of your brother."

She closed her eyes for a minute and took a deep breath. "Don," she started quietly, looking him in the eyes. "I didn't tell you about Collin because I need help, or so I can get a break."

Don nodded somberly. "I know that." He smirked as he told her, "Besides, your aunt already warned me not to do anything just to help you out. I'm pretty sure there was an underlying threat there."

Chloe smiled slightly. "Yeah, probably," she chuckled, looking back out toward the street.

"Look," Don sighed, turning serious. "I know how many hoops you would've had to have jumped through to become his legal guardian. Especially since you've been his guardian almost a year, and you only turned eighteen, what? About six months ago. You would've had to get emancipated first, and then get approval from all the right people to become his guardian."

"The social worker told me I was crazy," Chloe muttered.

Don gave her a small smile. "Nah. It's a crappy situation to begin with, you're just taking care of your little brother the best way you know how." Chloe bit her lip, but didn't look up. "I'm not trying to take that away from you," he assured her. "I just want to be a part of his life."

Chloe sighed, slowly looking over at Don. "He _wants_ you in his life. You're his dad."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, just watching the quiet street. Chloe turned around when she heard the screen door creak open slowly.

"Hey bud," she greeted softly as Collin came outside slowly, still looking tired but not as sick as he had the night before.

"Hey kiddo, how you feelin'?" Don asked as Collin sat down in between him and Chloe.

"Better," he mumbled, leaning his head on Chloe's shoulder. "Is Grandpa mad?" Collin asked quietly, looking at Don with apprehension.

Shaking his head, Don assured him, "Nah, he's not mad. He was just worried about you, that's all."

Collin shrugged. "I know, he just looked kinda mad when Chloe told him she's my guardian," he commented.

"I think he was just surprised, that's all," Don told him comfortingly.

"'kay," Collin muttered in a small voice, closing his eyes as Chloe rubbed circles on his back.

Don glanced at Chloe and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"Can I have pancakes for breakfast?" Collin asked, looking up at Chloe.

Don laughed lightly, while Chloe rolled her eyes and muttered, "You must be feeling better."

Collin looked up at her and smirked, "Yeah, and you make awesome pancakes."

Chloe smiled, but chuckled and smirked at Don before telling Collin, "Why don't you ask your dad if he'll show you how to make 'em. He's the one who taught me anyway."

The look Collin had when he looked over at Don bore a remarkable resemblance to a puppy begging for a treat. Nonetheless, Don smiled and agreed.

-0-

"Hey Chuck," Don greeted when he entered the craftsman. "Dad home?"

Charlie nodded. "Kitchen." Don nodded and started to walk towards the kitchen, but paused and turned back around when Charlie asked, "How's Collin doing?"

"Good," Don informed his brother. "Chloe said the fever went away with Tylenol, and he stopped throwing up about three AM. He was feeling well enough to eat pancakes this morning so I'd say he'll be fine," he added with a smirk.

Smiling, Charlie said, "Good, I'm glad he's okay."

Don nodded and headed into the kitchen. He found his dad rewashing the dishes from the night before.

"Hey Dad," he said quietly to announce his presence.

Alan looked up and over at his eldest son, who didn't miss the worried expression on his face. The first words out of his mouth were, "How's Collin?"

"No fever, stopped throwing up at three, and feeling much better. He even kept down pancakes for breakfast," Don sighed, assuring his father that Collin was fine.

"Good," Alan nodded quietly. Taking a deep breath, he looked Don in the eyes and asked, "And what about the other thing?"

Don rolled his eyes. "Oh come on Dad, what about it?" he retorted.

"Donnie, your son is being taken care of by a kid! Doesn't that concern you?" Alan replied incredulously.

"No," Don answered honestly, and firm. When Alan started to open his mouth, Don continued seriously, "Dad, Chloe is his big sister. She's eighteen years old. She got emancipated last year so that she could become Collin's legal guardian, which means she had to get through a lot more red tape than most. And a social worker still checks up on them to make sure she's doing everything she's supposed to be."

Alan sighed. "That's well and good, but still –" But Don cut him off before he could finish.

"Dad, before you knew she was his guardian, were you the least bit concerned about his wellbeing?"

Watching his son for a minute, and taking a deep breath before answering, Alan admitted, "Other than worrying about how he's dealing with his mother being sick…No."

"Then what's the issue?" Don asked quietly. "Nothing's changed."

Sighing heavily, Alan nodded in concession. But he added lightly, "I still think she's too young to be taking care of a kid."

Don nodded. "She's too young to be dealing with a lot of things," he said soberly. Alan nodded in agreement as Don added, "But she's doing the best she can, and to be honest…that's pretty damn good."

Alan looked his son in the eyes for a minute before nodding slowly.

-0-

"Be with you in a minute," Chloe called when she heard someone enter the store, but didn't look up from what she was checking on the computer for a minute. "What can I –" Chloe paused when she looked up and saw Alan. "Hi," she greeted slowly, letting out the breath she'd been holding.

Alan gave her an apologetic smile. "I wanted to apologize for the other night," he told her sincerely. Chloe looked down. "Don told me what the doctor told you, and that Collin was better that morning. It's been a while since I've taken care of a sick kid. I overreacted, and I'm sorry for that," Alan apologized.

"You don't have to be sorry," Chloe sighed, looking back up at him. "You were worried about him. I get that." Alan nodded. Chloe smirked slightly as she told him, "The first time Collin got sick after I became his legal guardian, I took him to the hospital for what turned out to be nothing more than a bad cold." Alan smiled. "I'd taken care of him when he was sick before, but it's different when you're the one responsible for him and have to make the decisions yourself."

Nodding, Alan agreed quietly, "Yes it is."

"Look Mr. Eppes –"

"Alan," he corrected with a smile.

Forcing a small smile, "Alan," Chloe started, then admitted, "Under different circumstances, I would've probably taken him to the hospital last night."

"Why didn't you?" Alan asked with furrowed brows.

Chloe sighed heavily. "Because Collin hates hospitals," she answered simply. Seeing Alan's still puzzled expression, she elaborated, "That first time he got sick and I took him to the hospital over a cold…he had a panic attack in the waiting room." Alan's eyes widened slightly. "You think it's scary when he's running a fever and puking…try watching him hyperventilate, being terrified and not able to breathe."

Alan shook his head. "I can't imagine," he admitted quietly.

Chloe sighed, looking down as she continued, "Ever since our mom got sick, he's hated hospitals." She shrugged as she told him, "He's fine going to visit her or whatever, but when it comes to him being the one to go, or even me or my aunt or cousins…he freaks out. Panics. That's why I won't take him to the hospital unless he _needs_ to go."

"It's gotta be hard on him," Alan said softly. "On both of you."

Glancing up, Chloe nodded slowly. Biting her lip, she sighed. "I may not be the best at this, but I do the best I can. And I promise you…taking care of my brother is my _first_ priority," she told Alan firmly.

Nodding slowly, Alan replied, "That's good enough for me," with a smile.

Chloe smiled. "We good?" she questioned lightly.

Alan nodded, extending his hand. "We're good."

"Good," Chloe smiled as she shook his hand. "Cause Collin really likes spending time with his grandpa."

Smiling, Alan assured her, "The feeling's mutual."

* * *

**A/N: Hope you liked that chapter! I probably won't get to update as quick next time cause I'm going on vacation tomorrow, but I'll try to have the next chapter up within the next week. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	8. Memories

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry I didn't get this chapter up sooner, but it was harder to write cause my brain is a few chapters ahead. :) Anyway, enjoy!**

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Chapter 7 – Memories

"Chloe," Marge said, grabbing her attention before she went into her mother's room. "We need to talk for a second."

Chloe sighed, but nodded and motioned for Collin to go on. "What's going on?" she asked the nurse in a sober tone, she knew that look, and it never meant anything good.

Marge took a deep breath. "The MRI last week showed the tumor on your mother's brain has grown."

"Ok," Chloe nodded slowly. "What does that mean?"

"It's starting to press on her brain, and right now it's affecting her memory," Marge explained. "She has good times and bad times. During the bad times, she doesn't remember where she is, or what's going on. She's kind of reliving the past, similar to a patient with Alzheimers." Chloe nodded. Marge sighed, "I just want you to be prepared, she may not remember what's going on, or even who you or Collin are."

Nodding slowly as she swallowed, Chloe told her, "Thanks, Marge."

Marge nodded, watching Chloe join her brother.

When Chloe got into the room, everything seemed normal. Collin was talking to their mom about his baseball game and the tournament coming up next weekend. But when her mom looked up at her, Chloe knew Marge had been right, she was somewhere else.

"Chloe, sweetie," Kaitlyn sighed warmly. "Look, I know you're mad at me, and you think I should tell Don I'm pregnant, but I promise this move is for the best."

Collin looked over at Chloe with a very confused and questioning look. But Chloe didn't see it, she was remembering the last time her mother had said those exact words.

_Chloe was laying on her bed, staring up at the ceiling as she listened to her radio._

_ Her mom knocked on the door as she came in. Kaitlyn bit her lip as her daughter still refused to look at her._

_ "Chloe, sweetie," Kaitlyn sighed warmly. "Look, I know you're mad at me, and you think I should tell Don I'm pregnant, but I promise this move is for the best."_

_ Chloe rolled her eyes and let out a heavy breath as she sat up and looked at her mom. "He deserves to know he's gonna have a kid, Mom," she told her mother bluntly._

_ Kaitlyn took a deep breath. "I know, sweetie, but –"_

_ "He's not Dad," Chloe interrupted firmly._

_ "No, he's not," Kaitlyn agreed with a smile. "But Chloe," she continued seriously. "Having a baby is a big deal." Kaitlyn sat down on the bed beside her daughter with a sigh. "When I had you," she started lightly. "I was still in high school. I was still a kid. And my mom…well, let's just say she wasn't thrilled at being a grandma so soon."_

_ "Is that why we never see her?" Chloe questioned._

_ Shrugging, Kaitlyn answered, "That was part of it. The point is, I was still a kid myself, so I took any help I could get." Tucking a strand of hair behind Chloe's ear, she continued, "And that help included your dad." Taking a breath, Kaitlyn told her daughter, "I'm not saying Don would be like your dad, because we both know he wouldn't be. But I'm not a kid anymore, things are different now."_

_ "But Don's still…its dad," Chloe said, gesturing to her mom's stomach._

_ Kaitlyn smiled. "Yes, he is." Placing a hand on her stomach, she continued, "And one day I will probably tell him."_

_ "Why not now, though?" Chloe asked._

_ "Because," Kaitlyn sighed, then paused for a second before continuing. "Because he's still readjusting. And it would be really hard for him to commit to a kid with his job. Especially since they could move him to somewhere else anytime."_

_ Chloe shrugged. "So you'd rather have another baby by yourself?"_

_ "I'm not by myself," Kaitlyn corrected with a smirk. "I've got you." Chloe rolled her eyes as her mother engulfed her in a hug. "We'll make it work," Kaitlyn whispered._

_ "I still don't wanna move," Chloe sighed._

_ Kaitlyn let out a sigh as well. "I know sweetie."_

"Chloe?"

Collin's voice brought Chloe back to reality, and when she saw his worried look and that her mother was still in the past, she told Collin, "Come on, Mom's not feeling good today, we'll come back tomorrow."

It took a minute for Collin to grasp what was happening, but when he did he nodded to Chloe, muttering a quick 'see you later, Mom' as he gave her a hug, and then followed his sister out in the hallway.

Marge met Chloe's eyes as they exited their mother's room, and she gave them a kind smile. "She'll probably be better tomorrow."

Chloe nodded, and nudged Collin along toward the exit.

"What was wrong with her?" Collin asked his sister in a small voice as they got into the elevator.

Chloe closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them back up and looking at her brother. "Remember how Mom had that test last week?" Collin nodded. "Well," Chloe continued softly, "The thing in her head that's been making her sick has gotten bigger."

"What does that mean?" Collin questioned. Chloe could see the tears forming in his eyes.

Swallowing, Chloe grabbed his arms and looked him in the eyes. "It just means that sometimes it's gonna mess with the way she thinks. It tricks her into thinking she's somewhere she's not."

Collin nodded slowly. "Is that why she thought she was pregnant with me?" Chloe nodded. Looking down, Collin asked dejectedly, "She's getting worse, isn't she?"

Chloe wrapped her arms around her brother, hugging him tight as she whispered, "Yeah, she is."

-0-

"Hey Dad," Collin greeted cheerfully when Don opened the door.

Don smiled. "Hey kiddo."

"See you tomorrow Chloe," Collin said as he gave his sister a hug.

She returned the hug. "Be good, ok?" Chloe told him firmly, looking him in the eyes.

Collin smiled. "Yes ma'am," he assured her in a slightly mocking tone.

Chloe rolled her eyes, playfully smacking his arm.

He smirked and went inside, as Chloe looked over at Don. "Ready to try again?"

Don shrugged with a small smirk, "Why not?" Chloe smirked, then looked down slightly. "He'll be fine Chloe," Don assured her.

Chloe gave him a small smile as she looked up. "I know," she nodded. "See ya later Don."

-0-

"Can I ask you something?" Collin asked quietly as the movie ended.

"Sure," Don told him, seeing Collin wrap his arms around his knees and the sad expression he wore.

"When your mom was sick," Collin started slowly, and Don took a deep breath. "Did she ever…not know where she was?"

It was a few moments before Don answered. Slowly he nodded, and replied in a quiet, almost raspy voice, "Yeah, there were a few times." Collin nodded slowly. "Why?"

Collin sighed. "Yesterday, when we went to visit Mom, she…wasn't there. Chloe said it was because the test she had last week showed the tumor on her brain had grown, and it was messing with her memory."

Don sighed. He didn't know what to say, so instead he just wrapped his arm around Collin's shoulder.

"She thought she was pregnant with me." Unconsciously, Don tightened his arm around his son, pulling him in closer. "It was weird. We were talking like normal, but she didn't really know who I was. And then when Chloe came in, Mom recognized her and said something about telling you and a move." Collin looked up at Don, unshed tears in his eyes. "I don't want my mom to die."

Don looked down at Collin and took a deep breath. Pulling him into a tight hug, Don replied softly, "I know you don't."

"Your mom will look after my mom if she dies, right?" Collin asked in a whisper.

Closing his eyes, Don whispered back reassuringly, "Yeah."

-0-

After dropping Collin off at school, Don was on his way to work when he found himself pulling into the craftsman's driveway. He took a deep breath before turning off the ignition and getting out.

He didn't see his father or brother when he got inside the house. Walking towards the kitchen, Don paused when he was passing a picture of his mother on the wall. It had been taken a few years before she was diagnosed with cancer, on one of his rare trips home to see his family.

"She always liked that picture."

Don turned around when he heard his dad's gentle voice.

Alan smiled as he walked over by his son to look at the picture as well. "Despite my doubts, she always said you would become a father before Charlie," he told his son lightly.

"Collin asked me if Mom would look after Kaitlyn if she dies," Don said quietly.

"I like to think she's always looking after all of us," Alan commented softly, placing his hand on his son's shoulders. Don nodded slowly.

-0-

"Hey," Chloe greeted, looking up from the stack of DVDs in front of her when Don walked into the store. "Collin said he had a good time the other night," she started. "Congratulations, you made it through your first night alone," she told him, slightly teasing.

Don smirked. "Thanks." But Chloe noticed the look on his face.

"So, what's up?" she asked.

Taking a breath, Don replied, "He told me your mom's getting worse."

Chloe held his gaze for a minute. Not saying anything, she grabbed the stack of movies and walked toward the aisles, looking for their appropriate locations. Don gave her a second before following.

"She was having a good day when we went back yesterday," Chloe told him casually, putting one of the movies on the shelf in front of her.

"I think it kinda freaked him out when she wasn't," Don told her.

Chloe sighed heavily, but didn't turn around to face him. "Yeah, it was weird."

"You okay?" he asked bluntly.

She gave him a sideways glance. "Don, I've been coming to terms with the fact that my mom's gonna die for over a year. I'm fine," she retorted, continuing on to put the next DVD on its appropriate shelf.

Don sighed. "And what about your brother?" Chloe turned around to look at him. "How long's he been dealing with it?"

-0-

Chloe knocked softly as she opened the bedroom door. "Hey bud."

Collin was already in his pajamas, laying on his bed reading a book from school. He looked up at his sister. "What's up?"

"Come on," Chloe told him. "I wanna show you something."

Confused, Collin climbed down off his bunk and followed her downstairs. He gave her a questioning look when she picked up a photo album off the coffee table and sat down on the couch.

"I figured you might like to see some pictures from when you were a baby," Chloe said with a shrug. Collin smiled at his sister, and joined her on the couch.

"Is that you?" Collin asked, fighting laughter as he pointed to a picture of ten year old Chloe.

Nudging her brother as she scowled playfully, Chloe told him, "Yes, and _that_ is you," pointing to a picture of their mother, smiling at the camera and pointing to her stomach. Collin smiled. "I took that not long after she told me she was pregnant. Before we moved to Tampa."

Collin flipped the pages, as Chloe told him about each picture.

"That was the baby shower Aunt Kristen threw for Mom."

"That was when we moved into our apartment." Collin looked at the picture of his very pregnant mother unboxing dishware in the small kitchen. Chloe smirked and added, "Uncle Steven and his friends had to help us move all the furniture."

"I think I remember that apartment," Collin said slowly, furrowing his brows. "It was the one with the fire escape, right?"

Chuckling slightly, Chloe nodded. "Yeah…That's where I'd go sit anytime me and Mom would get into it. She used to get so mad when I would take you out there with me, but you actually liked it. We were on the third floor, you liked listening to all the traffic from the freeway and the people from the market on the street below. If you were fussy, I'd take you out there and you'd calm down," she added lightly. Collin smirked. "We lived there until we moved out here."

Chloe paused and Collin looked closer at the next picture. "That was the day you were born," she told him softly as he examined the picture of his mother in a hospital bed holding a tiny dark-haired baby.

Collin smiled, and looked at the next picture of an eleven year old Chloe holding the same baby from the last picture. He glanced over at Chloe, who smiled and nodded. "That was the first time I held you."

The smile on Collin's face was small, but bright, as he continued flipping through the pictures.

"Hey Chloe," Collin started slowly.

"Yeah, bud?" she replied lightly, as Collin looked up at her with a thoughtful expression.

"Will you help me with something?" he asked.

* * *

**A/N: I know that ended on kind of a cliffhanger, but I promise, it'll pick up almost exactly where it leaves off in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon, but that'll depend on my schedule and whether my mind will stop jumping around on me, but I'm gonna try to have an update up within the next week. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


	9. Pictures

**A/N: So sorry it's taken so long for me to update! Things have just been really hectic with work and classes starting back, and I just had a really bad wreck so I haven't really been in any condition or had time to write. And I know this chapter is shorter, but hopefully you'll understand why. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 8 – Pictures

"Hey," Alan greeted cheerfully when he opened the door to find Chloe and Collin on the porch. "What a nice surprise, come on in."

Collin was grinning brightly as he entered the craftsman. Chloe just gave a small smile at Alan's curious expression.

"Hey guys," Charlie greeted as Collin went over and hugged Don in greeting.

"What's going on?" Don asked as he released Collin.

"Collin has something he wanted to show you guys," Chloe explained as Collin pulled a scrapbook out of his backpack and the Eppes men gathered around to get a closer look.

"Yeah, what is it?" Don looked at Collin questioningly as his son looked at him with an almost apprehensive look.

"Me and Chloe were looking at some pictures from when I was little the other night, and I figured you'd like to see 'em too…" Collin explained slowly and quietly, but his face lit up when he saw Don smiling at him.

"Yeah, I would," Don agreed. Collin smiled back.

Alan and Charlie grinned at each other, while Don glanced at Chloe as the Eppes men gathered around so they could all see the pictures.

"Is that your mom?" Alan asked as he looked at the first picture of Kaitlyn. Collin nodded.

"Hey, I remember that one," Don said as Collin had flipped to the next one of Don and Kaitlyn in front of a ferris wheel. "You took that one when we went to the fair two counties over," he commented to Chloe.

She nodded. "Yeah, that was right after Mom found out she was pregnant."

Don looked up at Chloe, stunned. Alan and Charlie glanced at each other.

"It's a picture of all three of us," Collin told Don lightly with a shrug.

After staring at Chloe for a few more moments, Don looked down at Collin and slowly smiled.

"What's that one?" Charlie asked, pointing to the next one, a picture of a hospital nursery.

"That was the day I was born," Collin answered, looking to Chloe for confirmation.

She nodded. "He's that one," she told them, pointing to the small dark-haired baby in the middle.

Charlie was smiling, and Alan was beaming as he looked at the picture of his grandson as a newborn. Don had a very stoic, pensive expression as he looked at it, then at his son sitting next to him.

"He weighed seven pounds, four ounces, and was nineteen inches tall," Chloe informed them.

Alan smiled as Don nodded and flipped to the next picture.

"Aunt Kristen took this one, right?" Collin asked his sister, looking at the picture of an eleven year old Chloe sitting on the hospital bed next to their mother holding the dark-haired baby from the previous picture.

Chloe nodded. "That was a few hours after you were born. After they'd gotten you cleaned up and Mom got a nap."

They continued flipping through the pictures, with Collin explaining each one, or asking Chloe when he wasn't sure. The Eppes men got to see Collin's first steps, birthday parties, his first day of school, and other moments in between, with Alan continuously pointing out how much Collin looked like his father. Other than home videos, it was the next best thing to actually being there. And though all of the Eppes were thrilled to look at pictures that essentially showed Collin growing into the boy he was now, Don couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at not having been there for any of it.

Looking through the pictures, and seeing the look Chloe had given him, Don knew Kaitlyn had made sure all of these pictures were taken so that he would be able to at least have something from the time he missed. But that didn't stop him from wishing he'd been there in person. Rubbing a hand over his mouth, Don remembered the conversation he was sure had at least a little bit to do with why Kaitlyn hadn't told him.

_"Have you ever thought about it? Having kids, I mean," Kaitlyn asked on their way to dinner. _

_ Don shrugged. "Yeah, of course I've thought about it," he answered honestly. "It's just with this job, and the hours I work…Having a relationship is hard enough, let alone trying to raise a kid," he added bluntly. Then looked at her with a softer expression. "No offense, though. I mean, I like you, and Chloe seems like a good kid. –" Don started, but Kaitlyn cut him off with a smirk._

_ "Don, it's fine," she assured him. "We just started dating. I'm not asking for any kind of commitment, and I'm certainly not asking you to be a father. I just wanted to be upfront with you." Kaitlyn sighed. "Most guys bolt the second they find out I have a kid, let alone a ten year old. I just didn't want us to get too far into whatever this is without you having all the facts."_

_ "Hey," Don said softly, looking over at her. "You haven't scared me off," he promised with a smile._

_ Kaitlyn smiled. "Good. Cause I like you too."_

They'd had that conversation on their third date, right after Don met Chloe for the first time. Don sighed. Though they'd never really talked about it again, being around Chloe, and his relationship with Kaitlyn, it'd made him rethink the possibility of having a family one day, even with his job. Glancing back at Collin, Don realized that even if it wasn't exactly the way he'd pictured it, he did get a family.

* * *

**A/N: I know it was short and I'm sorry for that! But I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I promise I'm going to try to get the next one up as soon as I can (and it will be longer). As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!**


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